Me, My Bestfriend and Baby Makes Three
by Silent Angel of Time
Summary: Willow and Xander grew up together and they always figured they would raise their children together...then things changed but now they about to embark on the joys of parenthood...together...
1. Chapter 1

All right this story just hit me in the middle of class...all right so senioritis has fully kicked in and I'll use any excuse not to pay attention in class...anyway it's just an idea but let me know what you think...This is not a Xander/Willow romance.  
  
Willow's heartbreaking cries can be heard the instant Xander sets foot in the small flat that Giles and Andrew share. Giles and Andrew can immediately tell he's different, he stands straight like only a person with confidence in themselves can and the Africa sun has tanned his skin and his face looks determined, an expression that melts the instant Willow's tears reach his ears. "How is she?" Xander asks Giles and Andrew.  
  
"She's been in tears since we brought her back from Brazil," Andrew glances nervously at Willow's door.  
  
"What happened?" Xander asks. "All Buffy said when she called me was that Kennedy was killed and that she couldn't leave Rome."  
  
"It was truly unexpected," Giles sighs, "it was a random vampire the other slayers down there took her down without much problem."  
  
"When?"  
  
"Five days ago," Willow's sobs give way to gasps for breath before more sobs continue, "we sent her body to her parents and the funereal was today." Andrew informs.  
  
"Why isn't Willow there?"  
  
"Her parents blame her for everything, for her being lesbian, for her death," Andrew stops to think for a minute and then nods, "I guess just about everything."  
  
Xander nods and without another word he walks toward Willow's door and without knocking enters, the room is cast in semi-darkness resulting from the blinds being drawn against the sunlight outside and Willow's body is a curled form on top of the covers. "Go away." Willow doesn't even move with her words, uncaring as to who came into the room. When Willow senses that whoever is in the room she adds, "I don't want damn tea, and I don't want anything to eat I just wanna be left alone." With her words Willow falls into fits of gasping sobs.  
  
"Willow..."   
  
Saying her name is all Willow needs she's out of bed in an instant and in Xander's arms only moments later, "Xander..."  
  
Xander holds his best and oldest friend tightly, "it'll be all right Wil."  
  
"Xander, Xander, I can't," Willow takes a long gasp of air, "I can't do this. Not again."  
  
Xander smooths Willow's hair, knowing that Willow doesn't want to talk at this moment she just needs to be held and that's all Xander does, holds her until her tears subside and she falls into an exhausted sleep.  
  
Two weeks later was the first time Willow was actually able to form sentences involving Kennedy. Willow and Xander lay on Willow's bed, Willow's back leaning against Xander's chest as Xander draws gentle, comforting, circles on Willow's upper arm. "Things were perfect you know," Willow's words are only above a whisper and have been for the duration of their conversation.  
  
"Yeah, I know." Xander responds.  
  
"This is going to sound crazy," Willow informs tentatively.  
  
"I'm sure it won't be that crazy, this is still me after all."  
  
"We were going to adopt a baby." Willow states.  
  
"That's..." Xander trails not exactly sure if he thinks it sounds crazy or not.  
  
"I know, but we watched so many people die last year that we wanted." Willow sniffs back tears, "we wanted to take advantage of the time we had."  
  
Xander can't see Willow's face but he knows that she's crying again, "she knew you loved her." Xander assures, knowing that that was what he needed to hear after Anya had died.  
  
"Sometimes I think I ruined her life." Willow confesses.  
  
"No."  
  
"If she wasn't with me she would have been somewhere else, probably here in England, and she wouldn't have been in Brazil and she wouldn't have been killed."  
  
"You can't know that."  
  
"But..."  
  
"You can't know that."  
  
"I..."   
  
Xander turns Willow so that he faces his, his eyes staring into hers, "you made Kennedy happy you have to remember that, no matter what her parents say Kennedy loved you and chose to be with you. Blaming yourself for her death isn't anything she would have wanted you to do."  
  
"I feel so empty." Willow admits looking away from Xander.  
  
Xander closes his eyes, lost in thought, and when he's struck with an idea his eyes fly open "we'll have a baby."  
  
Willow stares hard at Xander then, she had never ever expected this, "what?"  
  
Xander's heart drops, 'stupid Harris, that was stupid' he mentally chides himself, 'she just lost the woman she loves, that was stupid.' Aloud he responds, "I shouldn't have said that Wil...I just...I want to make you feel better. I never should have said that though, it was stupid."  
  
Willow's expression is masked until she speaks, "I don't think it's stupid."  
  
"Wil, you don't have to make me feel better."  
  
"I'm not." Willow responds, "you are my best friend Alexander LaVelle Harris and I think I want to have a baby with you."  
  
Xander licks his lips, he'd gotten himself into a situation he never should have even brought up. Willow was his best friend, yes, she had been for a long time and he should have known that he had the habit of saying just about anything to get her to smile and that tended to get him into trouble. "Wil..."  
  
Willow lowers her eyes, "Xander if you were just saying that to say it then that's fine, and I appreciate the thought but you should know..." Willow trails off.  
  
"What?" Xander urges.  
  
"I don't hate the idea."  
  
Xander props himself up on his elbows, "you want to do this."  
  
Willow copies Xander's position, "I think we've covered that part of this conversation." A small smile, the first Xander's seen in days, plays at Willow's mouth.  
  
Xander's eyes search every inch of Willow's face, looking for a sign that she's wavering on this idea and when he can find none he asks, "are we really going to do this?"  
  
Willow's eyes catch Xander's and she holds the gaze for a long time before responding, "I think so." 


	2. Second Week in December: Week One

Chapter Two  
  
A.N. For those of you who find Faith living with Buffy I understand but it is explained later in the story...  
  
Buffy looked turned when she arrived in England two weeks later, in all of her post-apocalyptic glory she was happy to be on vacation with Dawn and Faith. After greeting are exchanged between the three women, Giles and Andrew, Giles asks, "well?"  
  
"No more Jorden-gun." Buffy assures.  
  
"Jorgen..." Giles' voice utters various syllables that Buffy doesn't care to learn to pronounce.  
  
"Whatever," Faith responds, "B and I crushed him."  
  
"Good," Giles nods.  
  
Buffy glances around the living room, "where's Wil?"  
  
"She and Xander went out," Andrew informs, "I think they're up to something."  
  
"How is she?" Buffy asks concern for her friend written across her features.  
  
"She's been better since Xander has been here," Giles responds. " He gets her to leave the house but Andrew is right they have been secretive the last couple of weeks. Giles cleans his glasses but once he replaces them he asks, "tea anyone?"  
  
"How about some good old American coke?" Faith asks.  
  
"We have some in the 'fridge." Andrew responds as Giles leads the way into the kitchen.  
  
Everyone is crowding around the kitchen table that only seats four people when the door opens and closes, "Giles? Andrew?" Willow's voice drifts into the kitchen.  
  
"In the kitchen!" Giles calls back.  
  
Willow and Xander walked in both looking up beat and warm hugs are exchanged before Buffy asks, "how are you Wil?"  
  
"Better." Willow nods, "Actually, um, Xander and I need to talk to you guys, can we, uh, talk in the living room?"  
  
Everyone shares worried expression but they all settle onto the couches waiting and watching as Willow, who can barely contain her excitement, jumps up and down and Xander seems just as anxious to share whatever it is they had to share. "Willow, Xander, what's going on?" Dawn asks looking back and forth between the two.  
  
Xander and Willow stare at each other and when Willow nods Xander bursts out, "Willow and I are having a baby."  
  
"Isn't it great?" Willow beams.  
  
"Good Lord," Giles' words are the only ones that break the silence.  
  
"Sia gentile, rewind," Dawn's breaks the silence.  
  
"What Italian girl said," Faith jerks her thumb in Dawn's direction. "You and Willow screwed?"  
  
Willow blushes, "no!" Xander exclaims. "No, we saw a doctor last week..."  
  
Giles interrupts Xander to ask, "have you two completely and utterly lost your minds?"  
  
"No, we've talked about this." Xander responds, his good mood wavering.  
  
"Wil, you don't even have a job." Buffy points out.  
  
Willow grips Xander's hand as she states, "I'm pregnant, and I will be for the next nine months and then after that there's an entire lifetime for you guys to get used to it. So get used to it. And I do have a job, Robin offered me a job at his school in New York."  
  
"Wood?" Faith's voice falters but she recovers quickly, taking on a nonchalant quality when she asks, "you still talk to him?"  
  
"Sometimes," Willow nods, "he called after her heard about Kennedy. He offered me the job if I needed a chance of scenery, it's teaching fourth grade science."  
  
"So you're moving?" Andrew asks.  
  
"We weren't sure." Xander responds, "but taking your reactions into consideration it's looking like a yes."  
  
"So coming out to try and convince me that I'm insane?" Willow asks when Faith approaches her in the garden.  
  
Faith shakes her head taking a seat beside Willow on the grass, "no." Faith pulls at the grass as she talks, "way I see it is it's your choice. Whatever keeps your boat floating." Faith shrugs. "I know the kids gonna be loved and take it from someone who knows bad parenting, you and Xander won't be bad parents. It may be a little unconventional but what's to say for convention anyway?"  
  
Willow smiles at Faith, for the first time they had just had a real conversation, "thanks Faith."  
  
Faith drops the grass she has pulled from her hands as she stands, brushing her hands together she responds, "no prob."  
  
"He misses you," Willow offers, hoping that this is something Faith would want to hear.  
  
Faith doesn't face Willow when she responds, "he's better off without me."  
  
"Faith..."  
  
"Red," Faith sighs, "Wood and I are history...ancient history. Two world and all that."  
  
"Fai..."  
  
"If anyone asks, I'm going out..." Faith cuts Willow off before disappearing out of the garden.  
  
"She was in a hurry." Xander comments as he takes Faith's vacated seat.  
  
"We were talking about Robin," Willow informs lying out in the cool grass. Xander lays out next to her on his stomach and they sit in silence for a long time before Willow asks, "do you think Giles and Buffy are right?"  
  
"No." Xander states firmly, "this is our life, our choice."  
  
"Faith thinks we'll be good parents." Willow informs.  
  
"We will be." Xander responds and leaning over Willow stomach he begins speaking in a tone that Willow hopes will loose its annoyingness over time, "do you here that little baby? I'm your Daddy. And when you come out we are going to play all kinds of games and go for walks and eat ice cream."  
  
"Xander you do realize that the baby is the size of a pinpoint, right?" Willow asks laughing at her best friend and father of her child.  
  
Xander's hand settles on the top of Willow's stomach, "yeah but I just want the little guy to recognize my voice."  
  
"I have a feeling he, or she, won't be able to get it out of their head." Willow responds with a light laugh, "so New York then?"  
  
Xander nods, "yeah, besides after being in Africa for a year I'm starting the miss the best of the US of A, like curly fries." 


	3. First Week in January: Week Four

Chapter 3  
  
First Week in January-Week Four  
  
"How much further is the house?" Willow asks once they have been in the car for what seems like forever to her churning stomach.  
  
"It's close, just around the corner." Robin Wood responds driving down a street, in a nice upper-middle class neighborhood.  
  
"I'm excited, aren't you excited Wil?" Xander asks from the front seat.  
  
"I feel sick." Willow mutters, morning sickness had kicked in early.  
  
"It's from the excitement, we own a house Wil, can you believe it?" Xander is giddy, "thanks again Robin for helping us get this house."  
  
"It was no problem," Robin responds turning the car onto a street equally as nice as the one before. "Besides I did it all from my desk at work, do you know how boring it is going from being principal at a school on a Hellmouth to a normal school?"  
  
"You mean you miss people exploding in front of your office?" Xander questions.  
  
"I never said that." Robin pulls the car over and finally stops in a front of beautiful, white, Victorian, two-story house. "Here we are."  
  
Both jump out of the car quickly and face the house awed by it, Xander had seen pictures, but they didn't portray how beautiful and large it actually was and Willow had refused to see pictures wanting to be surprised. "I had no idea it would be so big..." Willow breathes. "How can you afford any of this? Willow looks at Xander. "Putting money down on the house and furniture must have cost you a fortune..."  
  
Xander shrugs, "I've got money, I've made a lot and you would be surprised at the nothingness to bye in Africa."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Hush and enjoy it Willow." Xander orders with a bright smile, "I'm anxious to see what the decorator did with the place."  
  
"Decorator?" Willow asks.  
  
"You thought I was going to leave decorating and shopping up to Robin here?" Xander asks.  
  
"It's a three bedroom house, three bathrooms, it's got a kitchen, living room, entertainment room and an attic." Wood informs as they walk up the pathway gesturing to the lawn around him he adds, "plus the huge back and front yard and wrap around porch."  
  
Willow's eyes are already welling up with happy tears but Xander wraps an arm around her and urges, "don't start crying yet, you haven't seen the inside."  
  
"I don't need to," Willow responds, "I'm in love already."  
  
Once inside Willow heads in the direction of the living room, "I want that room last," Xander responds. He shows her the large kitchen with lots of room for cooking, and the dining room with a table small enough to sit a family of three but could be extended to sit a larger number of groups and the final room he shows is the entertainment room that had a pool table, ping pong table and so many bookshelves that they formed a little alcove with room for a comfortable chair. Upstairs Xander's room was first, it was simple the walls were painted blue and had a comforter that matched with a dresser, night table and television. Willow's room is painted a soft pinkish-beige, the comforter is a pink floral pattern and there are wall shelves all around the room, a vanity and a dresser in the spacious bedroom.   
  
"I didn't have the decorator do anything with the baby's room." Xander states leading Willow to the biggest room across the hall from his and Willow's. "It has a bathroom in it but really nothing else, I figured that this could be something we did together."  
  
Willow smiles at Xander, "thank you for all of this..."  
  
"We aren't done on our tour yet," Xander responds and grabbing Willow's hand he nearly drags her down the stairs.  
  
"Oh right, the mysterious living room." Willow replies allowing Xander to lead her down the stairs. Once they are at the bottom Xander places his hand over Willow's eyes and leads her to the back of the house that Xander hadn't let her see earlier. Walking past the stairs and the overlooking floor above Xander leads Willow into the wide open living room that has a bay window that looks onto the backyard with a cushioned seat, and chairs and sofas leaving plenty of places to sit gathered around the huge fireplace.   
  
"Oh my God." Willow breathes staring at the room.  
  
"You always used to say that you wanted a living room where plenty of people fit in and can sit and talk, or read. There are 14 places for people to sit comfortably."  
  
"It's so adorably comfy!" Willow announces and immediately plops down onto one of sofa chairs in the room, her morning sickness momentarily forgotten as she props her feet up on one of the cushioned ottomans that liter the floor. Willow pats the seats on either side of her for the guys to sit next to her, "I can't wait to organize, and I want to make dinner...Robin do you want to stay for dinner?"  
  
"Wil, we have no food and no plates to eat off of." Xander laughs.  
  
Willow's face falls for a moment and then she shrugs, "well then how about 2 days from now Robin. You can be our first house guest."  
  
"All right," Robin agrees, "that is if you let me treat you both to dinner tonight?"  
  
Willow and Xander nod, "deal," Xander responds.  
  
"Robin I can't thank you for the job." Willow states at dinner later.  
  
Robin shakes his head, "it's really not as big a deal as you are making it out to be. Besides we need you at the school, the teacher we have now gave us her retirement notice last month and said she was retiring to Florida after the holiday break, you couldn't have come at a more perfect time. School starts back in a week, will you be ready with lesson plans by then?"  
  
Willow nods, "I started them as soon as I let you know I accepted a job, I was excited."  
  
Robin smiles at Willow, "the kids are all right, kind of rowdy but not our worst class by far."  
  
"If Wil can handle a high school class I'm sure she handle a 5th grade one." Xander points out.  
  
Robin seems a little less sure, "I'm sure it'll be a new experience. What about you Xander, what are you doing for work?"  
  
"I have an old friend who is a housing developer, we've worked together on projects and he gave me an management job and I'm almost done with architectural degree and he offered to put me on his architectural team. So I guess I am as set as Willow is." 


	4. First Week in January: Week Four: Part 2

Chapter Four  
  
First Week in January-Week Four  
  
"Wil, why can't we just go with black or white, or how about black and white?" Xander asks standing in the section in a department store that holds only plates.  
  
Willow rolls her eyes at her best-friend's maleness, "it's so blah. All right, look here I will pick out my three favorite and you can pick the one you like the most." Adjusting three sets so that they stand out Willow asks, "which do you like the best?"  
  
Xander stares at the selection, a tan look with flowers that remind him of something his grandmother would have in her antique cabinet, simple lavendar and white set and finally a set that Xander can't help but see Willow in through and through. A white plate, with some sort of orange flower and a green block was so colorful that they just screamed Willow, he could live with plates that reminded him of his best friend, even if they were incredibly girly, "those I guess."  
  
"Really?" Willow beams. "That was my pick too."  
  
"All right so can we get these and go?" Xander asks lifting the box.  
  
"Yes, but we have to go to the grocery store." Willow responds leading the way out of the dining wear section, as Xander balances the plates, cups and silverware, and right into the baby section. "Oooh, baby stuff."  
  
Knowing that Willow is about to throw herself into another world that only soon-to-be mother's go to Xander sets the heavy boxes down on a nearby display. "Here we go," Xander mutters under his breath so that Willow can't hear him.  
  
"Oh! Oh! Look at this, when we come back shopping for the baby we have to get it." Willow holds up a mobile that hands over a crib and places a soothing baby song.  
  
"Right," Xander scoffs, "cause that's practical. Can we go now?"  
  
Willow rolls her eyes, "fine."  
  
"We're getting this." Xander is suddenly side tracked as he grabs a small set of baby eating utensils.  
  
"I'm sure we can wait to get those." Willow responds.  
  
"I don't think so," Xander shakes his head, "the kids gonna need one of these, how else is going to feed himself?"  
  
"Sure," Willow mutters only loud enough for Xander to hear her, "a baby mobile is impractical but the eating utensils that the baby won't use for years are an immediate necessity, I'm the impractical one."  
  
In the kitchen Willow is in her element, someone she never thought she'd feel so comfortable. But when she was in Brazil and living in a small house with a couple of slayers who didn't have the time nor the talent, it seemed to be a genetic thing that Slayers couldn't cook, Willow had been forced to learn how to cook quickly. The kitchen is huge and Willow can see herself cooking there for many years to come, the phone ringing quickly brings Willow out of her train of cooking thoughts and tunes her more into the world around her.   
  
By the third ring Willow realizes that wherever Xander is he isn't about to answer the phone so she wipes her hands off and lifts the cordless phone off the charger, "hello?"  
  
"Hey Red," Faith is the only one Willow and Xander had given the number to, do to the frosty terms they had left everyone else on.   
  
"Faith, how are you?" Willow asks, glad that she'd called before Robin had showed up.  
  
"Five-by-five, you know, but how about you? All settled into that new fancy house of yours?"  
  
"Yeah we are, you know we have a open room here if you feel inclined to visit the states." Willow suggests, balancing the phone between her shoulder and ear as she stirs sauce.  
  
"I don't think so Red," Faith responds, "B and I head back to Rome in the morning, Dawn's back in school in a couple of days."  
  
"You know you always have a place here," Willow isn't exactly sure where this tenderness toward Faith is coming from, maybe it's the pregnancy or maybe she's just getting used to the rough-around-the-edges girl she had once hated.  
  
"Thanks Red, but I'm fine in Rome..."  
  
"Five-by-five, right?" Willow asks.  
  
Faith agrees, "right."  
  
The two exchange a few more words before Faith gets off the phone, unwilling to run up Gile's all ready high international phone bill.  
  
"Willow!?" Xander's bellow is the first that Willow has heard from him since they got home.  
  
"I'm in the kitchen!" Willow calls back while adding a few seasonings to her pasta.  
  
"Could you come out here for a second?" Xander asks.  
  
"Xander I'm cooking," Willow doesn't finish the response and wiping her hands on her apron she walks out of the kitchen and towards the living room where it sounds like Xander has been calling her from. "What?"  
  
"Open that door." Xander points to the closet door in the corner of the living room.  
  
Willow roles her eyes but complies and is surprised to see that it isn't a closet like she had thought previously but actually a door leading down to what must be a basement, "how come you didn't tell me about this?"  
  
"I wanted it to me one final surprised," Xander steps in front of Willow and leads her down the stairs, flipping as switch as they go, once again shocking Willow.  
  
"It's a finished basement?" She gasps staring at the carpeted floor, with 3 different doors.  
  
"Yup," Xander responds with a nod, "three bed rooms. Those two connect to a bathroom between them and that one has a bathroom in it too."  
  
"So people can come visit it." Willow claps her hands excitedly, "I love it!" Willow's facial expression falls, "now if we only had people to visit."  
  
"I'm sure we have some mini-slayers wanting to visit," Xander responds, "and the rest of the Scoobies? They will come around, we've been friends for years, they are going to figure out that we have things handled and they'll come visit too. This baby is going to have aunts and uncles who love it as much as we do."  
  
Willow smiles weakly, "I hope so." 


	5. Second Week in January: Week Five

Chapter 5  
  
Second Week in January - Week Five  
  
"How do I look?" Willow asks Xander nervously on the first day of her teaching job.  
  
"You look great Wil," Xander assures.  
  
"Well what about my clothes, do you think they are appropriate for a 5th grade science teacher?" Willow asks shifting nervously in front of her best friend.  
  
Xander takes in the black floral dress and pale blue jacket, "you look fabulous. You know what would look even better?"  
  
"My black skirt, right?" Willow asks.  
  
Xander laughs and shakes his head, "you being on time for your first day would look even better."  
  
Willow glances at the clock over the stove, "I'm gonna be late!" Willow hugs Xander, "wish me luck."  
  
Xander kisses Willow's cheek, "good luck, but you don't need it, this'll be a piece of pie."  
  
"So?" Xander asks when Willow trudges back into the house hours later. "How'd the first day go?"  
  
"They're monsters." Willow responds with a dismal sigh.  
  
Xander stops to think for a second, "but Wood says..."  
  
"Not actual monsters," Willow states. "But Robin said they were just testing me out and that I was stern enough to let them know who's boss, but I think it's them."  
  
Xander wraps an arm around Willow's shoulder in comfort, "are you going to change before our first doctors appointment?"  
  
Willow nods, "give me a sec, all right?" Within minutes Willow has reappeared in a more comfortable clothes and the two leave the house to make their appointment.  
  
"So everything is all right?" Willow asks staring anxiously at the doctor.  
  
Dr. Grace Kelley, a kindly middle-aged woman, smiles at Willow and Xander, "everything checks out great. You are in great health Willow so I don't see any real problems with this pregnancy so long as you do everything necessary to keep yourself that way and the baby as well."  
  
"What should I be doing?" Willow asks.  
  
"Your charts say that you've already started taking folic acid and prenatal vitamins." Dr. Kelley glances over Willow's charts.  
  
Xander nods, "the doctor in London told her she should start right away."  
  
Dr. Kelley nods, "that's excellent. If you're a coffee drinker you should probably cut back as much as possible if not com..."  
  
"I'm not." Willow assures quickly.  
  
"Good," Dr. Kelley thinks for a couple seconds before finally saying, "there's not much else I have to tell you, other than to get a lot of sleep, take naps whenever you have a chance, drink a lot of water and it might not be a bad idea to pick up some baby books."  
  
"That's it?" Xander asks, surprised by the brevity of the visit.  
  
Dr. Kelley nods, "stop by my secretary on the way out and she will make an appointment for your next visit."  
  
"Uh Wil," Xander can barely see of the pile of books that Willow had loaded onto his arms.  
  
"Yeah, what is it Xander?" Willow asks, slightly preoccupied as she scans the back of a pregnancy book.  
  
"Don't you think this is going a little crazy on the buying of the pregnancy books?" Xander asks as his shoulders ache. "Dr. Kelley said to buy some baby books, not buy all the baby books, how are you going to find time to read all of these?"  
  
"These," Willow holds up two books titled "My Boys Can Swim!" and "She's Having a Baby, I'm Having a breakdown", "are your books, the rest are for me, I want to be prepared."  
  
"I think you've got that covered," Xander groans under the weight, "can we go now? You have a million books."  
  
"I only have twenty," Willow snaps, "I want to be prepared when I have this baby...I don't even know anything about kids."  
  
Hoping to avoid an argument with an exhausted Willow, Xander states, "you're right, of course, there needs to be some major studyage, let's buy these books and get going."  
  
"We've got messages!" Willow calls as Xander is making is third trip from the car with their last load of books.  
  
Willow presses the button on the answering machine and the automated voice replays, "you have two new messages. Hey Willow, it's Robin I was just calling to make sure that your students didn't scar you to badly and that you are still willing to come back tomorrow. I'll talk to you later," Robin's words are laughing as the message beeps and then a less expected voice comes across on the answering machine, "Willow, Xander, uh it's Giles."  
  
Willow and Xander exchange glances as Giles pauses in his speech, "I understand you are just getting settled into your new house and you have other things going on but we need a favor. There's a slayer that needs a break from other slayers, she's coming up from Rome. She doesn't need training or anything, just a break from slaying, if this isn't a problem then you don't have to call back, she's got a letter from Buffy explaining the situation and money to get from the airport to your house. She should be there tomorrow evening sometime. Alright then, if you have any problems call." The machine beeps for a final time and then rewinds.  
  
"He's kidding, right?" Willow asks with a deep sigh that says she knows that nothing about Giles' message was a joke.  
  
"I wonder if it's another rogue slayer," Xander muses, Willow's question lost on him, "that would make things interesting."  
  
"Make things interesting?" Willow asks, her voice raising slightly. "Things don't need to be made more interesting, they are fine just the way they are. And last I checked Buffy and Giles weren't talking to us, we are to irresponsible, remember."  
  
Xander shrugs, "I dunno Wil, but we are still part of the Scoobie team, a little disagreement doesn't mean we should turn are backs on our not-so-sacred duties."  
  
"I need ice cream," Willow murmurs, "I don't want to think about this right now, I just want to curl up in my library with a book and a bowl of ice cream."  
  
Xander moves toward the fridge, "one large bowl of strawberry ice cream coming up."  
  
Willow smiles at Xander, "thanks, I'll be in my library." 


	6. Third Week in January: Week Six

Chapter 6  
  
Third Week in January - Week Six  
  
A.N. All right well this chapter is a little on the short side but I kind of just couldn't go any further...I found a stopping point and this was it...  
  
"This is ridiculous." Willow states staring out the living room window watching the snow settle in swirls.   
  
"We could have told them no." Xander responds.  
  
Willow shakes her head, "no, you were right we are still a part of the Scoobies and they need us to take this girl, but there's just..." Willow's face pales quickly and she states, "I'll be back," before she hurries out of the room.  
  
Xander sighs, Willow's morning sickness had kicked in and she refused to let Xander help her. Willow had made it very clear that she didn't want Xander anywhere near here when her morning sickness was at its worst. Just as he hears the downstairs bathroom door slam a taxi pulls up in front of the house and Xander grabs his jacket and enters the cold as well.  
  
The instant she steps out of the taxi he can tell that she is a newer slayer by the way she carries herself, tall but every muscle twitching ready to attack, from experience Xander knew not to surprise new slayers. "Hello there!" Xander calls down from the steps, "do you have luggage I can help you with."  
  
The girl shakes her head as she lifts a duffel bag out of the taxi cab and pays the driver before heading towards Xander, "I'm Oria." The girl states holding out her hand for Xander to shake.  
  
"Xander." Xander shakes her hand firmly, "come on in, it's freezing out here." Once inside Xander says, "Willow is indisposed right now, but I can show you were your room is."  
  
Willow brushes her teeth and rinses with mouthwash and then stares in the mirror, she was pale and she hated meeting the new slayer looking sick, but that couldn't be helped. Drying her face Willow steps out of the bathroom prepared to meet the girl who would be living with them. "This will help you."  
  
Willow is startled by the appearance of the shorter Asian girl standing in front of her, she probably only stood at five feet with long black hair streaked pink. "Excuse me?" Willow asks.  
  
"It's a tea, it helps settle the stomach," Oria holds out a porcelain jar, "it will help with your morning sickness. It's an ancient Chinese tea leaf."  
  
Willow accepts the jar, "thank you."  
  
"I can make some for you." Oria offers.  
  
"You don't have to, I can do it."  
  
Oria shrugs, "it's all right, I've nothing else to do."  
  
"Well thank you." Willow smiles, letting Oria take the jar back. Once they are in the kitchen and Oria is making the tea Willow asks, "why exactly did they send you to us?"  
  
Oria's back remains turned to Willow as she speaks, "we had differences."  
  
"Where were you again?" Willow asks, everything about Oria being here was unclear.  
  
"Rome, with Buffy and Faith." Oria responds.  
  
"She seems nice." Willow lays in front of the fire with Xander after Oria has excused herself to sleep.  
  
"Yeah, I don't understand why she's here though." Xander responds. "So do those books say about our little baby?"  
  
Willow rolls off of her stomach and onto her side facing Xander as he slides from a chair to the floor beside Willow, "there's not a whole lot."  
  
Xander draws a circle on Willow's stomach, "hi baby, it's your daddy."  
  
"Xander you know that the baby can't hear you right?" Willow asks. "The baby is like the size of a blueberry."  
  
Xander's face screws up in thought, "well I'm still going to talk to her or him, which ever. Hey little baby." Xander taps his fingers on Willow's stomach.  
  
"Xander, that tickles." Willow laughs lightly.  
  
"What?" Xander asks repeating the process, "this?"  
  
Willow laughs, "yes, that!"  
  
Xander continues tickling Willow and as her laughter continues both Willow and Xander can't help but feel that they are back in high school, everything that had happened over the years seemed to melt away. "Okay, okay," Willow laughs, "I give up." Willow rolls away from Xander and crawls toward the couch.  
  
"You can't give up that easily," Xander pulls Willow back toward him but the quick change in force causes Willow to land on top of Xander instead of next to him and both freeze. Willow lays on top of Xander for awhile, both have different reactions Willow's breath catches while Xander's heart races and his breathing speeds up.  
  
Willow quickly jumps up, "I'm tired, I should go to bed...I'll see you in the morning."  
  
Xander sighs, "as if things with me and Willow aren't complicated enough." Pushing himself off the wood floor Xander drops onto the couch and picks up the phone on the table next to him. "Robin my man, I need a favor. You've been here awhile, you've got to know a lot of single, non-demon women, think you could set me up? Really? All right, thanks man." 


	7. Fourth Week in January: Week Seven

Chapter Seven  
  
Fourth Week in January - Week Seven  
  
"Xander are you sure you want to go out tonight?" Willow asks looking between the window in the kitchen overlooking the racing snow and Xander who is dressed in preparation for his date with the woman Robin had set him up with.  
  
"Wil, I'll be fine, unless you don't want me to go out, cause if you don't..."  
  
Willow focuses on the outdoors, "I don't care of you go, you just aren't very used to driving on the snow."  
  
"We've been here nearly a month, it's snowed most of the time we've been here, I'll be fine. Besides I'm only driving to Robin's, we're actually double dating. He's going out with a friend and I'm going out with a friend of Robin's friend."  
  
"Robin's dating again?" Willow asks turning to face Xander again, slightly surprised by this news.  
  
"Well yeah," Xander is startled by Willow's surprise at the statement, "why wouldn't he be?"  
  
"Well he and Faith just..."  
  
"I'm sorry Wil, but it's not as if Faith is one of those girls that once you've been with her you can't go back. And that's a good thing actually considering she's been with..."  
  
"Xander," the severity in Willow's voice is the last thing Xander expects.  
  
"Wil, what's with you tonight?" Xander asks, "are you sure you don't want me to stay home? If you're not feeling well I can just reschedule this date, it won't be a problem."  
  
Willow shakes her head, "no, I'm fine. Just a little tired I guess, the kids were kind of off the wall today, probably because it was Friday. I think I'll see if Oria wants to order a movie off the TV tonight and then go to bed early."  
  
"You're sure?" Xander clarifies.  
  
Willow nods, "positive. Have a good time." Quickly Willow adjusts Xander's shirt and patting his chest she states, "alright you look good, have fun."  
  
"Okay," Xander kisses Willow's cheek. "Get some rest, and call me if you want me to bring anything home."  
  
"I will." Willow nods as Xander leaves the house.  
  
"Bye Oria!" Xander calls before he slams the door behind himself.  
  
Willow stares after Xander long past the time when she can see his car turn the corner and Oria startles Willow, "you love him, don't you?"  
  
Willow turns to face Oria a blush creeping up her cheeks, "of course I love Xander. I'm having a baby with him and I've known him my entire life."  
  
"That's not what I mean." Oria's dark eyes focus on Willow and they make her shift uncomfortably.  
  
"Well that's the only way that I love him, or didn't they tell you in Rome that I'm not so interested..."  
  
"Yeah, yeah gay and all that." Oria responds with a wave of her hand.  
  
"Then why are you asking me this?" Willow asks.  
  
Oria shrugs, "I've seen you two together, there's definitely something between you two."  
  
Willow's eyes go wide with shock, "I really have no idea what you are talking about! I'm gay. I'm **gay** and I don't love Xander that way!"  
  
Oria shrugs again, "if you say so. I'm just calling it like I see it and this is the way I see it."  
  
"I'm going to my room, I'll see you tomorrow." Willow nearly snaps at Oria before quickly disappearing out of the kitchen.

* * *

Once in the quiet of her room Willow flops on her bed still annoyed that Oria would even say such a thing. She was _gay_, she had been for years. She'd loved Tara, and a part of her still loved Tara. She mourned after Tara's death and she'd loved and mourned for Kennedy as well. But everything she had ever had with Tara had been beautiful, like nothing she had ever felt before and that was how Willow knew that she was gay. She and Tara had completed each other and that was how Willow knew that she couldn't be in love with her best friend, maybe she had been when she was younger but not anymore.   
  
Sure, there had been that thing last week but that was fluke, her hormones were out of balance. They may have been close to kissing but Willow had pulled away because she knew that there was nothing but crazy hormones to back it up and it would have weirded both of them out in the end. And God knows that things were already weird enough between her and Xander without the weirdness of them kissing on top of all of that.  
  
Rolling across her bed Willow reaches for the phone, she needed to talk to someone, anyone, and her fingers nearly dial out the numbers to Rome before she remembers that she hasn't spoken to Buffy in a month and that a part of her is still mad at her best friend for not supporting her in this.

* * *

"So what do yo think of her, Xander?" Robin inquires once they have dropped both of their dates of at the apartment they shared.  
  
"Well, she's not a demon." Xander responds.  
  
"That's all you have to say?" Robin asks, "she's not a demon?"  
  
Xander laughs, "no. Actually I liked her a lot, she's funny not to mention gorgeous. We're actually going to go out again. Come on, when you meet a girl and she doesn't A. Turn into a demon, B. Doesn't try to sacrafice you to a heathen God and C. Doesn't freak out when you explain that you are having a baby with your lesbian best friend you know she's someone you have to go out with again."  
  
Robin nods with a laugh, "guess so."


	8. First week in February: Week Eight

Chapter 8  
  
First week in February - Week Eight  
  
"You're up early," Xander comments when he comes downstairs to find Willow at the breakfast table with a cup of tea.  
  
"Yeah," Willow nods, "just some stomach cramps."  
  
Alarm immediately crosses Xander's features, "should we take you to the doctors?"  
  
Willow shakes her head, "I looked it up in one of my million baby books, they've come in handy, it's normal at this time to feel cramps in the stomach. Besides I just couldn't sleep, so you had another date with Hayley last night, right?"  
  
Xander nods, "yeah. You'd really like her, Wil, she's funny and smart , you'll have to meet her."  
  
Willow nods too, "yeah, sure."  
  
"Good, I'll set it up." Xander kisses Willow's forehead, "I should get a shower, I've got to be on site in an hour."  
  
"Want me to make you some coffee?" Willow offers.  
  
"Tha'd be great, thanks Wil." Xander responds before walking back out of the dining room.  
  
"You hungry?" Willow asks Oria when she shuffles into the kitchen minutes after Xander has left for work. Oria makes a noise that Willow takes as a yes and suggests, "I was going to make some waffles, you want some?"  
  
Oria yawns and then nods, "sure, thanks."  
  
"So," Willow begins as she pours batter into the waffle iron, "I was thinking we should probably get you into school."  
  
"School and I don't get along," Oria states.  
  
"Well maybe I could home school you or something in the afternoons, what about that? You do need an education, Buffy was the slayer and managed to complete high school and take a year of college."  
  
"So it's either stay at home all day or face the horrors of high school hell?" Oria asks.  
  
Willow shrugs, "yeah I guess. It's really your choice, but you could always go out on patrol, I'm sure Xander wouldn't mind going with you."  
  
Oria sighs, her face settled in her cupped hands, "I guess I'll try out high school and do the whole student by day slayer by night thing. And if that doesn't work then we can try the home school thing."  
  
Willow nods, "sounds good to me. Listen, I'll stop by the house after school and pick you up and then we can swing by the high school and get you all registered."  
  
Oria yawns, "fine, whatever."  
  
"Good," Willow places a plate with waffles on it in front of Oria.   
  
"I was going to ask you what you were going to do about school for her," Robin states at lunch when Willow explains the morning's conversation.  
  
"I was surprised when she didn't fight me on starting school, we've mentioned it before and she seemed against it. I guess she's bored sitting at home all day."  
  
"You think she'll stick school out?"  
  
Willow shrugs, "if she's anything like Buffy we'll have bad reports about her by the end of her first week in school. But I'm not sure...  
  
"Any idea why she's here?"   
  
"I'm getting the feeling that she and Faith didn't co-exist well," Willow responds.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Robin flinches mildly at the mention of Faith, "why's that?"  
  
"Oria reminds me of Faith, how she was when she first came to Sunnydale, before she killed the deputy mayor. Kind of tough and stand-offish but still wants to be part of the group, that's just the vibe I get and I have a feeling Faith saw to much of herself in Oria."  
  
Robin clears his throat, "so how, uh, is Faith?"  
  
"She's fine," Willow responds, sighing inwardly. She wished that Faith and Robin would just get over whatever the spat had been about that had broken them up almost a year before, neither ever wanted to talk about the fight and whenever they wanted to find out about the other it was like pulling teeth to get them to ask. "She seems to like Rome..."  
  
Robin nods, "good."  
  
Willow rolls her eyes, "okay well I've got to call Xander before my next class starts. Why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow? Xander wants me to meet Hayley, you could bring a friend if you want."  
  
"Sounds good, I'll call Gabriella tonight and give you a call later this evening." Robin responds.  
  
Willow smiles, "okay, bye."  
  
"See, that wasn't a painful experience, and by your testing scores your really smart." Willow comments as they walk out of the high school Oria would be attending the next day.  
  
Oria rolls her eyes, "oh yeah, I'm a friggen genius. You think Xander'll go out patrolling with me? I've got energy to burn off, I've been sitting around for two weeks."  
  
"I'm sure he won't have a problem going out tonight," Willow responds. "By the way Xander's new semi-girlfriend is coming over for dinner tomorrow, with Robin Wood and his girlfriend."  
  
"So Xander's really got a girlfriend?" Oria asks.  
  
Willow nods, "guess so."  
  
"I bet that totally sucks."  
  
Willow flashes Oria a smile, "I'm happy for her. Besides she's not a demon, that's definite progress for Xander."  
  
Oria stares at Willow for several seconds, "right."  
  
Willow scowls at the young teen, "how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not interested in guys like that, not even Xander."  
  
Oria nods, "I dunno, until I believe you I guess." 


	9. First week in February Week Eight Part...

Chapter 9  
  
First week in February - Week Eight - Part Two  
  
"So the school really didn't have a problem with your new electric blue hair?" Willow asks Oria again as she, Xander and Oria drive back to the house after shopping for that nights dinner.  
  
Oria fingers her dark hair, now with the bottom dyed bright blue, Oria had managed to convince Xander to let her buy the dye the night before when they had been out on patrol and she had done it when she got home, while Willow had been sleeping. "They didn't say anything, it's not as if I was the only one with unnatural colored hair."  
  
"God," Willow responds, "if I went to school with bright blue hair Snyder would have tried to have me expelled."  
  
"Times are a changin' Wil, we're getting old." Xander laughs.  
  
"Well I do feel old," Willow retorts and then laughs. "We're going to have to kind of rush to get dinner on the table, shopping to longer than I expected. Robin, Gabriella and Hayley are going to be at the house in an hour." Xander turns the car onto their road and Willow takes a deep breath, "oh my God, that's not Robin's car already is it?"  
  
"No, it's not," Xander responds, "I wonder who's it is?"  
  
"What the hell are they doing here?" Oria muses for the whole group when they spot the three figures huddled on the front porch.  
  
Willow shuts her eyes as Xander pulls into the driveway, "please tell me that Buffy, Dawn and Faith are not on our front porch."  
  
"Buffy, Dawn and Faith are on our front porch." Xander responds.  
  
Oria laughs shortly out loud and then states, "Faith decides to visit on the day we are having Robin's new girlfriend over, oh the irony."  
  
"No, I don't need irony," Willow responds. "I don't need them to be standing on our front porch, tonight of all nights."  
  
"Well they're here and we have to find out why," Xander responds, his voice overly cheerful.  
  
"Hey Willow," Buffy greets uncomfortably when everyone is out of the car, grocery bags in hand, facing the newly arrived group.  
  
"Hey," Willow responds, unsure of what else to say.  
  
"Why don't we take this conversation inside, it's cold out here." Xander suggests, leading the way to the front door.  
  
"You said the place was big Wil, but this I didn't imagine," Faith comments when they step through the front door.  
  
"Yeah," Willow nods, "we like it here."  
  
"So what's up guys?" Xander asks once they drug all the grocery bags into the kitchen, Buffy, Dawn and Faith following.  
  
When none of them say anything Faith sighs, "B and Dawn here have something to say to you guys."  
  
Buffy takes a deep breath before stating, "I'm really sorry we didn't support you when you came to us to tell us about the baby. It just took us by surprise but we've been thinking and we know we've been really really stupid and we hope you can forgive us." Dawn nods in agreement to what her sister has said.  
  
Willow and Xander exchange glances and then nod, "of course we forgive you."  
  
After hugs are exchanged Willow takes a deep breath and faces, "listen we have some people coming over for dinner. You're welcome to stay, but it's Xander's new girlfriend, Robin Wood and his new girlfriend..."  
  
Willow watches Faith's face for any kind of reaction but Willow doesn't receive one, Faith just shrugs, "cool, what's for dinner?"

* * *

"We should call Robin and warn him," Xander whispers to Willow in the kitchen while Oria shows Buffy, Dawn and Faith to their rooms downstairs.  
  
"We can't," Willow responds as she snaps green beans. "Robin had a meeting today, he was going to go straight from work to pick up Gabriella and Hayley."  
  
"We could call Gabriella and tell her to pass along the message," Xander suggests.  
  
"Oh yeah, tha'd be a great phone call," Willow snaps. "Hey Gabriella could you let Robin know his ex-girlfriend is in town and she'll be at dinner tonight...That would go over great."  
  
"Good point, that's why you're the smart one. So then what are we going to do?"  
  
"You'll just have to catch Robin when he gets here, I guess." Willow shrugs, "there's not much else we can do."  
  
"There's a plan that's doomed to fail..."  
  
"You could wait outside for him," Willow suggests with a smile.  
  
"I'll try my chances at catching him when he comes in the door," Xander responds quickly. "So how long do you think they'll be here?"  
  
Willow shrugs, "probably not long, Dawn has school."  
  
"Unless they've decided to move in with us and put Dawn in the school we just put Oria in," Xander points out.  
  
"We're not moving in," Faith announces sauntering into the kitchen and hoping up onto the counter. "We're just here for a couple days, gotta get the brat back to school and all that responsible stuff, so what's for dinner?"  
  
"Chicken Parmesan," Willow responds.  
  
"I'm going to go, get out of you way," Xander motions to the exit before leaving the kitchen quickly.  
  
"Was it something I said?" Faith laughs, "what's with Harris?"  
  
"He's been double dating with Robin and his girlfriend..." Willow trails.  
  
Faith nods as Buffy enters the kitchen, "I'm gonna take a shower..."  
  
"Carrot?" Willow offers before she covers the salad she had just made.  
  
"Thanks," Buffy accepts the food and chews on it for awhile before stating, "we should have called."  
  
"What?"  
  
"We shouldn't've just shown up like this," Buffy responds. "I guess it's just kind of hard for us to remember that you're doing the domestic thing now and that you have different lives than we do...And we shouldn't've just sent Oria to you with the way things were...And we should've..."  
  
"Buffy, calm down," Willow urges. "It's fine really, everything is fine. The fact that you flew across the world to apologize, something you could have done over the phone, totally makes up for just showing up randomly. And we want you to visit us, you've seen the basement, have you seen the living room? And as for Oria.." Willow waves it off, "she's no problem. Sure she's a handful but she's got Xander out patrolling and she keeps things interesting, we're happy to have her here. Xander and I would probably drive each other crazy if it was just us in the house."  
  
Buffy smiles, "how's the baby?"  
  
Willow grins in response, "fine. I'm starting to feel some of the effects of being pregnant, morning sickness and stuff, but the baby is doing well."  
  
Buffy nods, "I'm happy for you guys."  
  
"You are?"  
  
Buffy nods again, "it took me awhile to adjust to the idea but I am, I'm happy for you guys. Besides I'll get to be cool Aunt Buffy."  
  
"Well then cool Aunt Buffy, you can help us try to keep this dinner from being overly awkward."  
  
"Oh you mean the whole Faith and Robin thing?"  
  
"Yeah, the whole Faith and Robin thing, it's going to be uncomfortable."  
  
Buffy nods, "yeah probably..."

* * *

"So Hayley, what do you do?" Willow asks attempting to break up the silence at the dinner table.  
  
"I teach at the high school," Hayley responds.  
  
"Oria started there today," Willow states.  
  
"Oh did she, how do you like it?" Hayley asks turning her attention to one of the two silent teens.  
  
Oria shrugs, "it's alright."  
  
"Good," Hayley nods, "Dawn where do you go to school?"  
  
"We're visiting from Rome," Dawn responds.  
  
"Rome, wow," Gabriella takes a sip of her water. "How is it that you all know each other?"

* * *

"Robin and Faith used to date," Xander blurts quickly. "Xander I can't believe you announced that at the dinner table," Willow gently chides after Robin, Hayley and Gabriella have left and the rest of their guests had headed to bed, exhausted by jet lag and the time change.  
  
"I know, I'm sorry," Xander sets the plates in the sink. "I was nervous and the pressure was getting to me."  
  
Willow shrugs, "oh well. At least that dinner's over. Hayley seems nice."  
  
"I knew you'd like her," Xander exclaims warmly. "We're going out tomorrow night, do you mind?"  
  
Willow shakes her head, "of course not. Maybe Oria and I will go out to dinner to celebrate her first completed week of high school."  
  
"You realize she only went for two days, right?"  
  
Willow shrugs, "yeah, but I have a feeling to keep her in school it's going to take a lot of encouragement."  
  
"You know, having her around is like already having a daughter," Xander comments.  
  
Willow nods, "guess it'll be practice for 16 years from now." 


	10. Second week in February: Week Nine

Chapter 10

A.N. Okay I realize that I haven't updated this in over a year, but that's because I had no inspiration to do so. And now I have a ton of inspiration so isn't it better to have a good story a year later then a crappy one without inspiration? Anyway I hope you guys do give it another chance I promise reviews at more regular intervals then once a year!

* * *

Second week in February - Week Nine

"It's been so great having you here," Willow hugs Buffy as tears well in her eyes.

"Oh, Wil, don't cry," Buffy requests as the tears start to spill over Willow's cheeks.

"I'm sorry," Willow pushes at her cheeks, "it's just pregnancy hormones, I'm, I'm okay. But you'll come visit again, right?"

Buffy nods, "we were thinking maybe we'd come while Dawn's on Spring Break, that's assuming we can avert any apocalyptic activity."

"And of course there's summer and when they baby is born, now that we've been here you won't be able to keep us away." Dawn promises, moving in to hug Willow.

"Sounds like a plan," Xander adds as he hugs Buffy. "And once you guys are here you can take care of the midnight feedings and stuff."

"Screw that, I call the basement bedroom farthest from the stares," Faith responds.

"We really have to go," Buffy glances at her watch again, "but we're so happy for you and we expect lots of pictures of that growing belly. Bye Oria." Buffy offers the young girl a small wave which Oria returns silently. The teenager had been sullen and moody turning the week long visit and had hardly spoken to anyone, Willow and Xander including and Willow was hoping that once they were visitor free things would settle back into a normal routine.

The trio are not gone more then five minutes when Willow asks, "who's hungry?"

"We just ate an hour an a half ago," Oria points out from the bottom of the stairs where, Willow had noticed, she'd been planning to use as an escape route to mope in her room.

"I'm pregnant," Willow responds, "and I feel like pancakes."

"As in the international house of?" Xander asks, it was a fairly predictable question since Willow had quickly become addicted to their chocolate chip pancakes with strawberry syrup they'd eaten there once a week.

"Exactly," Willow nods, "so let's go."

"I have school so..." Oria moves further up the steps.

"So what?" Willow asks, "I've got a sub coming in, Xand's not going in why don't we call you in sick and we can all skip today."

Oria turns slowly, "you never let me skip school."

"So you want me to change my mind and make you go?" Willow asks arching an eyebrow.

"Just let me grab my jacket," Oria grins before turning and hurrying back up the stairs, the attic had been converted into a room for Oria and she seemed to like the privacy it gave her.

"What's been up with her lately?" Xander asks once Oria's footsteps can be heard going up to the attic.

"I'm not sure," Willow shrugs as she slips back into the coat she'd just shed. "But a day of might do her good, I think she just got overwhelmed with things, obviously something happened in Rome and she doesn't particularly care for Faith _or_ Buffy, that much is obvious."

"You think we were wrong in letting her come to use about why she is the way she is?" Xander asks as he too pulls on his jacket.

"She's only been here for three weeks Xander, I think she'll talk to us when she wants to talk to us, we can't force it on her. Or she'll hate us."

"You're right, but I feel bad just doing nothing, like we're neglecting her or something."

Willow bites her lip, now that Xander had said it she had to agree that maybe they were giving her to much space. "Well you said you had to go by the site today, anyway, right?"

"Yeah, this afternoon after your appointment," Xander nods, "that's not a problem right?"

"No," Willow shakes her head, "I was just thinking that maybe I could take her shopping or something and maybe get her to open up about stuff. It might be easier one on one then if she thinks we're ganging up on her or something."

"Probably a good idea, do the whole chick thing."

"Xander don't say chick thing," Willow scolds lightly as Oria's footsteps can be heard on the stairs again.

"Okay, I'm ready for my second breakfast," Oria announces as she appears in front of them. And as Xander starts opens his mouth Oria teases, "no Lord of the Rings comments from Nerd-boy."

"Hey!" Xander protests.

Willow can't hide her smile as she states, "come on Nerd-boy, your Nerd-baby and I are hungry."

Oria covers her mouth with her hand but it doesn't cover the laughter as they exit the house and head toward the car. "You know Willow, if you expect us always to eat when you're hungry Xander's going to end up weighing 500 pounds."

"Again, hey!" Xander exclaims, "what is it, attack on Xander day? And what about you missy? You eat plenty more then I do."

"I've got the metabolism of a slayer," Oria retorts with a smirk, "so there."

"One day that's going to give out on you and your going to be the size of a blimp," Xander retorts, sticking his tongue out at Oria in the review mirror as he backs the car out of the driveway.

"Xander, sweetie, I don't think slayer metabolism every gives out," Willow laughs from the front passenger seat, turning slightly to wink at Oria.

"Okay, I give up," Xander pulls the car to a stop in front of the house, "you girls can drive yourself to your fattening breakfast."

"Xander, stop being a nerd and drive the car," Willow instructs with a laugh.

"I don't know why I put up with this abuse," Xander mutters, but he can't hide the smile that's playing at the corner of his lips.

"Because you love us," Willow responds leaning over and kissing Xander lightly on the cheek.

"Oh sure, use that against me. All I have to say is that baby better be a boy or we're going to have some serious issues in this family with you girls ganging up on me all of the time." Neither Willow nor Xander miss the bright smile that briefly crosses Oria's face at Xander's comment.

* * *

"I can just wait out here," Oria states as they settle in the waiting room for Willow's appointment.

"Of course not," Willow states with a shake of her head, "I want you to come in with us."

"It's yours and Xander's baby," Oria states with her own shake of her head, "it's not my place."

Willow makes a face, "not your place? When they call my name you better get your tushy up and follow us back there. Today's a big day we..." Willow trails at the looks she's getting from Xander and Oria, "what?"

"Willow you just said..."

"Tushy," Oria finishes for Xander.

Willow lowers her voice, "there are babies around."

"Babies in the womb, Wil," Xander explains gently hoping not to tip of Willow's over-active hormones.

"So?" Too late, Willow's voice is slightly harsh. "Life is hard enough without filling these babies with negative energy even before..."

"Willow Rosenberg?" The nurse's call interrupts Willow's rant and saves Xander any physical pain that Willow could possibly inflict.

"Oria you coming?" Willow asks sweetly as she and Xander stand.

"Yeah, of course," Oria stands as well, unwilling to incur the wrath of hormonal Willow and honestly she's glad to be included in the activity.

They have to wait five minutes for the doctor to come in but when she does Oria can tell that Willow is going to love her new doctor. She wears a brightly colored shirt under her white coat and an equally bright smile is spread across her face. "Hi, I'm Dr. Collins. I'm so sorry about the confusion of switching doctors. But I'll be your doctor for the rest of your term, Dr Kelley had a family emergency and had to lighten her patient load, she gave me everyone she had in their first trimester. But she did fill me on the situation, but I'm afraid I don't know anything about this third party," she smiles gently at Oria as she says this.

"Oh, I'm Oria," Oria responds nervously, she'd nearly gotten lost in the conversation.

"She's part of our slightly odd family." Willow adds with a smile.

"Well, good, are there any other people I'll be meeting in the future?"

"Maybe," Willow responds with a shrug, "but our family lives all over the world, Rome, London, Paris, Madrid, Beijing. But they promise to visit often so you'll probably meet some other members."

"Wow, how'd you all get so far spread out over the world?" Dr. Collin's asks, her questions are honest and it's obvious that she's a very authentic person interested in her patients lives.

"Our family is establishing several schools for gifted students through out the world, so they are either establishing the schools or they are recruiting students." Xander responds with the simple story that they told people.

Silence settles over the group for half a second before Dr. Collins states, "okay. Well, this appointment is mostly a meet and greet but we can set up the Doppler and see if we can hear a heartbeat."

"We can hear a heartbeat this week?" Xander asks surprised by this news.

"I tried telling you guys in the waiting room that," Willow points out, "but you were to interested in my use of the word 'tushy'."

Dr. Collins smiles and then informs, "there's a good chance that we'll hear the heartbeat but don't be concerned if we can't. We may have to wait until the next appointment."

But despite Dr. Collin's warning, minutes later the sound of a faint heartbeat can be heard in the room, "oh my God." Xander's eyes are wide in awe, "that's amazing." He moves to take Willow's hand.

"And...and everything sounds okay?" Willow asks as tears stream down her cheeks.

"Everything sounds perfect, the heartbeat is strong and regular," Dr. Collins assures with a wide grin.

* * *

"Okay we have an hour and a half to get something to eat before we have to pick Xander up. So where do you want to eat?" Willow asks as she directs the car off of Xander's construction site.

"I dunno, Pazza's?"

"Pizza sounds awesome," Willow responds as she turns the appropriate way toward the pizza place that Oria had selected. Willow is silent during the drive, debating how to bring up the subject of Oria's life to Oria. Pazzo's had been a good choice because it was loud enough that you could have a private conversation without feeling like it could be overheard by the tables around you.

They'd gotten their food and been seated before Willow moves from basic talk about school to the topic she'd been playing out in her head. "So, Oria, you've been living with us for, what, almost a month now?" Willow questions playing with the straw in her cup.

"Yeah," Oria's dark eyes stare at Willow suspiciously.

"But I don't know anything about you beyond the fact that you're a 15-year-old slayer. Which puts me at a disadvantage because you know everything about me, from the time I turned into a ghost to the time when I almost destroyed the world."

Oria shrugs, "you and Xander talk a lot."

"That's a fair statement," Willow nods, "but not today. Today I want to know all about you."

"Come on, Willow, can we not do this?" Oria's eyes are lowered to her slice of pizza.

"No," Willow shakes her head, "we can't not do this. What I said in that doctor's office is true, you're a part of our family and I'm not letting another day go by that we don't know anything about your life."

"Wil..."

"This is my resolve face, if you don't know what it means, learn it." Willow motions to her face as she speaks.

"I was adopted from China when I was 19-months-old to Maria and Phillip Vasquez. I grew up in Madrid, Spain with my watcher as my nanny. Maria's identical twin sister had been a slayer so imagine Maria's surprise when I was one. I was eight when they found out the secret that I'd been keeping for a year, and it was then that they stopped having anything to do with me. I don't blame them, Maria had watched her sister get killed and she didn't want to risk attachment to me should I get called. Cadence Laurence was my watcher and she was my everything. Parents, tutor, best friend...everything.

Willow doesn't miss the 'was' part of that sentence and when Oria falls silence she can't help but say, "I'm sorry."

Oria shakes her head but continues with her story, "we didn't know anything about the Bringers, so I can only assume I was one of their first targets. Lucky me, right? Cadence died protecting me from a bringer. And Maria and Phillip stepped in, they took me into hiding. They apologized for the way they'd treated me for the last six years, gave me the same reasons I already gave you. But they promised that things would change, they died two weeks later in the same style Cadence had. So I headed toward London, sure the Watcher's Council that Cadence trusted so much could help me.

"By the time I got there thought the council had already been destroyed. From there I didn't know where to go, they don't tell potential slayers about who the current slayer is...or at least Cadence never talked to me about Buffy. I spent months using the money I had run with when the Vasquez's died, trying to find out any information I could about the slayer. People knew about her but it was hard to get people talk, it took me almost four months to get to America. And then another two months or so to get to Sunnydale. By the time I got there the only thing that was left was a crater where Sunnydale should have been. I ended up in LA doing whatever jobs a barely 15-year-old could can just to get by, I didn't have the money to try to find Buffy again and for all I knew she died when Sunnydale fell."

Oria doesn't elaborate on the topic of "jobs" and Willow isn't sure she wants to know what Oria had been through, for fear that she'll do something irrational because of situations no one had any control over. "How'd you get to Rome, with Buffy and Faith?" Willow asks when Oria acts like the conversation is closed.

Oria swallows her food before continuing, "I was out one night when a gang of vamps jumped me. I'd kept in shape, going patrolling occasionally but they were just to much and I got knocked out. The next thing I knew I was being woken up by a blonde vampire and being told I was in the law offices of Wolfram and Hart and suddenly there were a million people surrounding me."

"A million?" Willow asks with a smile.

"Seven if you want to be exact about it, one of which was a vampire, the other a ghost and the last a British Ghost."

"Angel and Lorne," Willow muses aloud, "although I don't know who the ghost was."

Oria nods, "yeah, Angel. I didn't get to know any of them because as soon as they found out I was a slayer they shipped me off to Giles in London who sent me to Buffy in Rome."

Willow allows the conversation to lapse for several minutes and when both have finished eating Willow can't help but ask, "what happened in Rome?"

Oria shrugs, nothing really, "I'm sure you've picked up on the fact that I don't get along with Buffy, Dawn or Faith. There's not really a story. Faith and I fought all the time, Dawn acted like I owed them something and Buffy treated me like I was some baby who needed to be sheltered."

Willow nods, they were all understandable reasons for Oria's unhappiness at being in, honestly Willow didn't understand how living with her and Xander constantly hovering would make her feel more comfortable but she doesn't push the subject. Instead she just responds simply, "I'm glad you told me."

"You didn't give me much choice, did you?" Oria asks, but her tone isn't angry.

Willow shrugs, "I guess not."

"Willow, I," Oria sighs trying to figure her words out, "I don't mind if you tell Xander, but I don't want to talk about it anymore. Okay?"

"I can't promise that it'll never come up again," Willow states, "but I do promise that it won't be dinner conversation or something."

Oria nods, "okay. I can handle that."

"Good," Willow nods, "now let's go, we can stop and get some ice cream before we have to pick up Xander."


	11. Third Week in February: Week Ten

Chapter 11

Third Week in February - Week 10

* * *

"Fighting Oria?" Willow asks when she enters the kitchen, she'd gotten call on her cell phone on the way home from work from Oria's principal to tell her that Oria had been the instigator of a fight with another girl. And Willow had been prepared to yell, but when the words are out of her mouth she suddenly feels like Joyce before she found out about Buffy being the slayer. "The principal called and said you punched someone in gym class. Was she a demon?"

Oria sighs, "no."

"Possessed."

"No."

"Using witchcraft to try and take over the cheerleading squad?"

"No."

"Was it anything having to do with the forces of evil."

"No," Oria pauses and Willow finds herself feeling hopeful that it is does, "unless being a bitch qualifies as a force of evil that I can slay because..."

"No." Willow stares at Oria, "well are you going to explain to me what the fight was about?"

"No." Oria responds, her eyes carefully trained on her bowl of cereal.

"Oria..."

"What?" Oria questions, "the girl was a bitch, she should have been punched a long time ago."

"Oria, you're a slayer, you can't just go around punching regular, non-evil, humans, you could seriously hurt someone."

"Whatever," Oria stands up and moves to the sink, "I've got homework. I'll be in my room."

* * *

Willow is making dinner when Xander breezes into the kitchen two and a half hours later, "you're late," she comments her tone annoyed.

Xander kisses Willow's cheek in greeting, not picking up on her mood, "yeah, sorry I had to stop by the jewelry store and pick up something for Hayley." He reaches into his pocked and produces a jewelry box holding a delicate rose on an equally delicate chain. "What do you think? Her middle name is Rose so I thought it'd be...what? What's that look for?"

"You've been dating Hayley, what, three weeks?"

"Yeah," Xander nods, "I know it's really quick, but I really like her."

Willow turns around to face her pot of soup and rolls her eyes, "well wash up and call Oria down it's time to eat."

"I've got my make-up Valentines dinner with Hayley tonight, didn't I tell you?"

"No, it must have skipped your mind," Willow snaps.

"I'm sorry," Xander apologizes, he's now picked up on her tone. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing, call Oria down for dinner, tell her I'm eating in five minutes and if she's not down here I'll assume she's not hungry."

"Is she giving you a hard time about something?" Xander asks, "did something happen?"

"She got into a fight at school," Willow responds as she pulls two bowls out of the cupboard.

"Do you want me to talk to her before I leave?" Xander asks carefully.

"Whatever," Willow waves her free hand while her other sets the bowls on the counter.

"Something tells me this goes beyond Oria fighting and I can't help but think you're angry with me."

"I'm not angry at anyone, Xander. I'm pregnant and I'm exhausted, I'm eating dinner, grading some essays and then going to bed."

"Will..."

"What?" Willow demands slamming down the ladle she'd just pulled out of a drawer, "what do you want? Do you want me to be angry with you because you're getting damn close."

'Fine, but you know if you need to talk..."

"Xander..." Willow snaps.

"Fine," Xander snaps right back at her this time before walking out of the kitchen.

* * *

The front door closing wakes Willow up from her sleep on the couch in the living room with a start, piles of essay's sit around her but a leather bound book sits open on her lap. She's yawning and stretching when Xander walks into the room, "I thought you were going to bed? It's 12:30."

"I fell asleep," Willow responds.

"Okay, well, g'night." Xander gives a slight wave and Willow knows she hurt him earlier.

"Xander," she calls after him, "wait."

"Yeah?" Xander half turns to face her.

"I'm sorry about snapping at you today," Willow apologizes setting aside all of her papers as an invitation for Xander to take the seat next to her.

He takes the bait, "what was with you tonight?"

Willow shrugs and sighs, "hormones I guess."

"I've seen your pregnancy hormones in action, Will, that wasn't pregnancy hormones."

"I guess it was a long day to come home have to deal with Oria getting into a fight and then you going out with Hayley."

"Do you not like her?" Xander asks, his expression concerned.

"It's not that," Willow shakes her head and then switches gears. "Do you ever wonder what life would be like if you did one thing differently?"

"Of course," Xander nods, "I spent the better part of two years wondering what life would have been like if I hadn't left Anya at the alter." Xander sighs, "but what about you? I mean you've obviously been giving it some thought."

"I found this when I was looking for an extra pen," Willow lifts up the book she'd closed minutes ago.

"Ah the diary that I wanted nothing more then to read through most of high school," Xander comments.

"It was this time six years ago that I started dating Oz," Willow muses.

"This is about Oz?" Xander looks shocked, out of all the things he'd been expecting Oz had not been the topic he'd assumed they'd be talking about. Tara or Kennedy, yes. Oz, a world of no.

"I guess," Willow shrugs. "He was the first person I liked who wasn't you, I guess I'm just thinking about what life would have been like if I'd chosen him and not Tara."

"But you loved Tara," Xander states.

Willow nods, "I did, I'm not saying I didn't. But if I'd chosen Oz then Tara wouldn't have been in my bedroom that day that she died."

"You don't know that," Xander states, "anything could have happened in the two years between Oz coming back and the day Tara died."

"My head knows that," Willow nods, "but my heart it can't help but wonder what could have been." Willow shrugs again, "I dunno, I guess I'm just lonely is all. Lonely and tired." She kisses Xander on the cheek, "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight," Xander responds.

"Aren't you going to come up?" Willow asks.

Xander shakes his head, "I've got to work on some paperwork, we're wrapping up the Morton project tomorrow."

"Okay, well I have a dentist appointment first thing in the morning, so do you mind taking Oria to school? She has in school suspension for the fight and if she misses it they're going to expel her."

"Sure thing Will, night." Xander moves over to the desk as if to start on the papers but once he can hear Willow's footsteps in her bedroom over the living room he picks up the phone and dials Robin's number.

"I have to be at the school by 6:30 tomorrow to meet with the gardeners and that's only five and a half hours from now. This better be good." Robin's were are bitter and tired.

"I know it is," Xander responds, "I have a favor to ask." Xander speaks quietly and quickly until he's explained his entire idea to Robin.

Robin yawns before responding, "I'll do what I can, but no promises. What you're asking, it's not easy."

"I know, thanks." Xander states before replacing the phone in the cradle.

* * *

"So, are you going to tell _me_ what the fight in school was about?" Xander asks as he drives Oria toward the high school. It had been a fight to get her in the car but eventually she'd given in and followed Xander out of the house.

"Why would I tell you and not Willow?" Oria asks not bothering to even look at Xander.

"Because Willow gets all serious and maternal and I'm me," Xander responds with a goofy grin. "Besides you know you're going to have to tell someone."

"Why so I can get in touch with my inner feelings or some stupid crap like that?" Oria asks.

"No," Xander shakes his head, "because Willow is going to force it out of you at some point, so you might as well practice on me so I can soften the blow for you."

"Willow can't make me doing anything."

"Hello, have you met Willow?" Xander asks.

Oria sighs, "fine. They found out about you and Willow, she was saying stupid stuff about you guys so I punched her."

"You got in a fight because of us?" Xander pulls up to a red light and stares at Oria.

"It was stupid," Oria responds, "but she had it coming, she picks on everyone in the class. I'm like a hero in gym now."

"I'm sorry she picked on you because of us," Xander states as the light changes and he pushes on the gas.

"It's not a big deal," Oria responds easily, "like I said the girl had it coming to her."

"Just don't make it a habit of punching people who have it coming to them," Xander urges. "It's going to raise eyebrows when people start to ask questions about how a girl who's barely five feet tall took out the varsity quarterback."

"Okay I promise, no punching any members of the football team."

"Or..."

"Or anyone else in my high school," Oria sighs.


End file.
